


Means to an End

by tiniestdormouse



Category: Pandora Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Incest, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Sibling Incest, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 06:38:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5617165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiniestdormouse/pseuds/tiniestdormouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gilbert knew failure and helplessness but hadn’t tasted the pure bitterness of it until he saw Vincent. Alternate ending to Retrace 96.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Means to an End

 

Gilbert knew failure and helplessness but hadn’t tasted the pure bitterness of it until he saw Vincent, head in hands, face flushed, and red from crying, gasping—

“I am not afraid of dying. I never wanted to live.”

The words cut sharper than the sword that had cut through his chest a decade ago, but instead of pain, a burst of frustration and rage nearly blinded Gilbert. But it wasn’t being angry at Vincent, but at those very words, as if they had been spoken by not Vincent, somehow, but by a monstrous beast inside of him.

A cracking screeching laugh echoed in the air.  Demios reached out a scythe-like limb and Gilbert swerved, calling out behind him, “Oz, Alice, stay away!”

Literally, Vincent had a beast inside him. But Gilbert realized it wasn’t only the Chain that was gaining power– it was also Vincent’s pure despair. And his younger brother being consumed by both. Gilbert wished he could beat that evil thing that had driven Vincent to say those words; he wished to shoot it down and stomp it out and end it, forever. But the other, calm side (that eerily-trained calm he had found himself lapsing into on occasion), rationalized all of his yelling and pleading wasn’t helping—it was obvious. _Gilbert failed, he always failed_ , and he wanted to beat himself senseless for thinking those thoughts too, because they were _nothing_ compared to what Vincent was going through at that moment.  

He turned his gaze slightly and found where Oz and Glen battled. Oz turned his head, caught Gilbert’s eyes and nodded. Their battle escalated but Gilbert knew that Oz could handle this himself. And if Demios were to go berserk, it’d only complicate matters further.

“Get him out!” the young blond man yelled.  “Alice and I will take care of things from here!”

Demlos’ laughter continued and Gilbert pulled out his gun, aimed it right between the Chain’s eyes.

“You,” he growled, because, to the Abyss with it all, he had to release his frustrations against _something_ , and this bitch was his best bet.

The shots rang true, piercing the skull right between those hollow, dead eyes. The Chain reared back, lethal blades swinging. Vincent shuddered beneath the edges of her ribcage. Gilbert took that opening, dived and skidded on his knees. Tucking his weapon away, he pulled his brother close, hooking his right around across his chest and pressed his brother’s face into his neck.

“Let go!” Vincent shouted, and Gilbert felt his little brother grasp his shoulders to shove him away again.

“Never,” he whispered and summoned from the depths of himself: _“Raven!!”_

“Gil! Vince!”

Gilbert turned toward the new voice in the room, and his golden eyes widened. Ada stood in the doorway. The shadow of the Raven, molting feathers and darkness, fell over them.

Demios’ head titled and another screaming roar came. As the scythe-limb lifted, Ada froze. In his arms, Gilbert noticed Vincent seeing her too and stopped his flailing. “NO!” came the shout – not at Gil, but at his Chain.

The bone creature shuddered; both scythe-arms twisted. Ada ducked, falling to the ground, the blades whizzing bare inches over her head.

“GO AWAY!” came the second order. “GET AWAY FROM ME!”

The spine of Demios shook, and the surrounding ribcage began to fracture around Gilbert.

The caw of the Raven rang in his ears.

“Her too!” Gilbert commanded, thinking this might be his only chance to pull Ada from this reality safely. He felt the Chain strain against the tides of time and space in his very essence, and his grip tightened as he felt himself spinning—

 _“Away, Raven! Fly away!”_ he could only think, before the burning past of Sablier swirled around him into nothingness.

***

Bright sunlight pierced through Gilbert’s consciousness. He slowly became aware of his surroundings, not remembering exactly when he had blacked out, or how. Straightening up, he felt long green grass brush his limbs and there was a dampness to his coat from the lying on the ground. He groaned, rubbing a bruise that he could feel forming on the back of his skull, and squinted his eyes through the hazy sunshine.

“Vince?”

Nothing but the sound of the wind.

“Ada?”

Nothing but the tall, tall grass, and the call of a bird, somewhere.

Gilbert got to his feet and noticed the smattering of black feathers around him. The Raven had brought him here, somehow, and he felt the reassuring tug of the Chain inside him. A wordless message from his Chain, that the Raven brought him to safety and let him rest.

His own state mattered little, however, if two of the people he loved were lost.

Gilbert pushed through the grass, trying to figure out where they could have landed. Somewhere else in the past, perhaps?  Were they in the same geographic area of Sablier, but only in the countryside, away from the ruined city? Or did the Raven succeed in pulling them through the vortex of time and space as Gilbert had willed, and they were somewhere in the present again?

“Vincent!” he called again, trying not to let these worries color his voice. “Ada!”

“Gilbert!” came the reply and he sprinted ahead.

The field opened into a clearing of bare dirt. The remains of a tree stood, its stump splintered. Ada waved to Gilbert and his speed increased upon seeing Vincent prone on the ground.

“No… did he…”

“Vincent’s alive.” Ada had her arms wrapped around him, the man’s head resting in her lap. Both of them were covered in specks of dirt and dried blood from the recent battles. Ada had removed Vincent’s ruined coat entirely, and opened up the buttons of the long silk chemise that Vincent usually wore beneath. Gilbert could see that the sword wound Glen had inflicted had pierced straight through the incluse on Vincent’s chest. The wound had healed, leaving a rounded pinkish mound over his heart—Gilbert knew, however, that as a Baskerville, the wound was quickly healing and doubted it would leave a scar.

What also brought his attention, though, was the fact that the incluse was complete.

“What happened-?”

“He rejected her.”

“But—“ Immediately, Gilbert saw in his mind’s eye Elliot on the stone ground, lying in a puddle of his own blood. “That can’t be-“

“You’re both Baskervilles, right? Vincent said you were different from humans.” Ada tucked a lock of hair behind one ear. “In the castle… he rejected her. We landed here, and she–” Ada gestured toward the torn-up tree “–but he threw her back into the Abyss. Baskervilles, he said, are the only ones who can reject their Chains and survive, since Chains don’t lay claim to their lives like they do with humans.”

Demios was crumbling—that Gilbert recalled before the Raven took them away. So that explained Vincent’s last words. They weren’t to Gilbert, but to his Chain. Vincent rejected Demios to save them. He knelt beside the two and placed a hand on Vincent’s scar. “So, he doesn’t want to…?” A lump in his throat stopped him from finishing the sentence.

“I don’t know.” Ada let her eyes close and trailed her hand along Vincent’s cheek. “I hope not.”

At that moment, Gilbert saw her face and another realization struck him. “W-wait… a while ago, Vincent told me he was seeing someone…”

She nodded. “Only for the past few months. I thought you knew.” A sheepish smile.

“Then again, Vince has been pretty good at hiding things from me.” Oddly enough, a stab of jealousy came with the remark. Gilbert shook his head, trying to repress the emotion. All of those stories he had heard about Vincent’s entanglements with older women. And that flame of what – resentment? – when Vincent slipped out that he had someone new in his life. No, Gilbert had been relieved to hear Vincent acting more responsibly to tie himself to one woman. Now he was glad Ada was Vincent’s new lover (if Gilbert was the sort of man who was attracted to women, he’d choose Ada too). Gilbert didn’t understand, however, the pang in his heart. Must be overprotectiveness, he chided himself.

“Thank you,” he said softly, “I’m happy that you were here for Vincent.”

Ada ducked her head, blushing. “I can’t imagine not being by his side.” Her hand rested on top of Vincent’s head.

Gilbert placed his hand on hers. “Me too.”

Vincent stirred beneath them and quickly, both removed their hands. Slowly, small sounds came from Vincent and he opened his eyes.

“Vince-“ both of them said in unison.

He blinked up at them, silent. And then-

“We’re alive?”

“You saved us,” Ada said.

“I did?”

“Yes.” Gilbert leaned down, and – maybe it was because Ada was there, maybe because he had been so afraid for Vincent and so angry – he lifted Vincent’s chin and touched their lips together. He could feel Vincent’s breath catch in his throat and Ada gasp behind him. Gilbert suddenly didn’t care, letting the blush cover his face. 

The kiss ended briefly, and Gilbert rested his forehead on Vincent to meet his shocked gaze. Ada recovered first and he felt her gently grip his shoulders, easing him away.

Instead of offense, he only saw a smile drape across her face and she shuffled her position to lift Vincent against her shoulder. Vincent’s bi-colored eyes remained locked onto Gilbert’s until she turned his head and kissed him, deeply. Vincent broke it off, scrambled to sit up and off of Ada.

“What are you, what are—“ he stumbled, crossing his arms in front of himself as his gaze darted between the two.

“Sorry.” Gilbert ducked his head, the heat on his cheeks almost unbearable. He couldn’t believe himself! And right in front of Ada!

“Don’t be,” Ada grinned and leaned across to peck Gilbert on the cheek. “I’m not surprised.”

Now it was Gilbert’s turn to stumble. “B-but what?” Ada gave him a look, one that said, _“I’m not as innocent as you think.”_ He swallowed, hard.

“We love you, Vincent,” Ada turned to him, taking one hand. She kissed the top of it and placed hers on his cheek. “And I’m so happy that you love us too.”

“Well, I… I…”

Gilbert, not to be bested, took Vincent’s other hand in his own. “Do you?”

Vincent shook his head. “Yes. I mean, yes, Gil, and. Um, yes, Ada. But what, why…” Vincent stared at him again, bowed his head. “Can’t.”

Gilbert kissed the top of his hand. “Can.”

“W-why?”

“What Ada said. We love you.” Gilbert moved him closer, pressed himself by Vincent. On his other side, he could see Ada doing the same. They exchanged another glance, one of instant understanding. They needed to be there for Vincent. And they will. Always.

“You’re tired,” he said. “We should get some rest.”

Ada moved her arm behind Vincent, gently lowering him to the ground. She snaked her forearm across his shoulders. “You’re safe here.”

At the point, exhaustion was beating out whatever arguments Vincent had left in him. He only nodded and sighed as Ada pressed her lips against his neck. Gilbert placed a kiss of his own on the side of Vincent’s forehead.

“We’ll stay here for a little longer, then find the others. Does that sound good, Vince?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll… rest….” Vincent shifted to his side to face Gilbert as the three of them lay on the bare ground. “Gil, I can’t…”

“You did. You did something right,” Gilbert replied. “You rescued me. You saved Ada. No matter what you want to do next, we’ll talk. And listen,” and he squeezed Vincent’s side as he said this.

A pause. “I don’t deserve this.”

“It’s the other way around.” Gilbert felt Ada’s hands clutch his hips as she hugged Vincent from behind. She kissed Vincent on the ear. “We don’t deserve you.”

Vincent seemed satisfied to hear that, and somehow, Gilbert was too.


End file.
